Urgent Bite 324 – Looking back at Bootcamp 2026
Last weekend was the College’s three day Bootcamp conference in Auckland. The theme was Reflecting Forward, as we celebrated 25 years of urgent care scope. This week, we look back at the weekend.
Urgent Bite 323 – Cracking Joints
There are a number of ways you can “crack” a joint. Some are relevant to urgent care, and some are just interesting.
Busting Myths with Laura and Dinesh – Episode 1
In this first episode of Busting Myths with Laura and Dinesh, Dr Laura Hamill and Dr Dinesh Deonarain consider whether spider bites always require antibiotics and the evidence around the need to split plaster casts.
Urgent Bite 322 – ADHD medications and eye conditions
There are important ocular side effects related to medications used to treat ADHD.
Urgent Bite 321 – Hand Foot and Mouth Disease and considering the Rule Bias
Hand foot and mouth disease is a common viral illness that almost always affects children under 5.
But, as the world’s number one golfer shows, healthy adults can contract it, so do not discount it as a possible diagnosis, if the story fits.
Urgent Bite 320 – Smith’s Fracture and reflections on opinions
Smith’s fracture of the wrist is the opposite of a Colles fracture and is an important fracture to identify in urgent care.
Urgent Bite 319 – Opioid Side Effects
We commonly see opioid side effects. But there are some we may not have been aware of that we should keep in mind in patients who have been taking opioids for more than a month.
Urgent Bite 318 – Topical Steroids via Urgent Care
Steroids are commonly prescribed through urgent care, but we must be mindful about adding to innapropriate use and inadvertent misuse by patients.
Patients must be clear about how much to apply, and how often it must be used. They need to be aware of the potency of each preparation. Changes to labelling in 2028 in NZ will help to show how strong each cream is.
Urgent Bite 317 – Splenomegaly
The spleen, once thought to be the seat of anger, can indicate many different underlying diagnoses and palpating it in urgent care is important.
Urgent Bite 316 – Sinusitis antibiotic choice
A recent large study in JAMA showed amoxicillin is as effective as augmentin for treating sinusitis. Which tallies with our national antibiotic guideline advice. It is important to recognise, sinusitis does not usually require antibiotic therapy.